British Land Hits Print On Latest Phase of £3.5B Canada Water

British Land has been given the green light to redevelop the Printworks building, part of its £3.5B, 3,000-home mixed-use scheme in Canada Water.

Southwark Council has voted unanimously to approve the redevelopment of the former printing works, which will be partially demolished to create a 484K SF office-led scheme. The building is designed by Hawkins\Brown.

The building had been one of the more successful examples of a 'meanwhile use' put in place by a developer on a large scheme. Until recently part of the building was used as a nightclub with a 6,000-person capacity that was once voted the seventh-best in the world by DJ Mag.

Canada Water will see 16 new streets created across the 53-acre site. British Land said that when complete it will be one of the largest mixed-use schemes in London and will include 3,000 homes plus a mixture of offices, shops and space for up to 20,000 workers.

The project will also include a new leisure centre with two swimming pools, sports courts and a gym. Up to a third of the 53 acres will be new public space.

The site, known as Harmsworth Quays, was opened as a printing press for the Daily Mail in 1989. The buildings were vacated in 2012 prior to British Land acquiring the site in 2013. Temporary planning permission was granted in 2016 for the Printworks to be used as an events and entertainment space while British Land and the architects worked up plans for the long-term future of the site. 

A reserved matter application for the entire site was submitted in October last year under the Canada Water Masterplan. British Land gained outline consent for the scheme as well as detailed consent for three buildings in September 2019.

The construction programme for the entire site is expected to take 10 years. The first phase began construction in 2021, with the first buildings set to open in 2023-24. The target completion date is between 2031 and 2034.